Author Headshot Ideas: 12 Looks That Suit Your Book

The best author headshot looks like you on a good day and hints at the kind of book you write. That’s it. Everything else is detail: a plain studio portrait or a setting that fits your subject, light on the face, clothes you already feel good in, and files big enough for a newspaper or a publisher’s catalogue.

Below are twelve ideas you can steal, the practical bits (colour, clothes, light, file sizes), and how we’d plan a session if you came to us in London.

Start with the impression you want to make

Before you pick a location or an outfit, decide what a stranger should think when they see your face next to your book. Warm and chatty? Serious and expert? A bit mischievous? Jericho Writers suggests writing this down as a brief for your photographer, and having a look at what other authors in your genre do before you book.

That last bit is easy to skip and it really pays off. Spend twenty minutes on bookshop pages, publisher author pages and festival line-ups. Save the photos you like and the ones you’d hate to be mistaken for. ArtsHub UK recommends the same thing: research author photos in your genre and build a small image board before you book anyone.

One rule to hold onto: support the book, don’t illustrate it. If you write dark thrillers, a sunny meadow smile is going to feel odd. If you write cosy village mysteries, a moody black-and-white stare might too. You’re after a mood that sits comfortably next to your cover.

Twelve author headshot ideas

1. The clean studio portrait

Plain background, soft light, head and shoulders. It’s the safest choice and it never dates badly. It works for almost every genre, and publishers’ author pages tend to look tidy with it. If you only get one set of photos in your career, make sure this one is in it.

2. The warm, laughing shot

Not a forced grin. A real laugh, which usually comes from the photographer chatting to you about your book or your terrible first draft. This one suits memoir, humour, children’s authors and anyone who does a lot of events, because it makes you look like someone the room will enjoy.

3. The writing-space portrait

You at your desk, by a bookshelf, or in a favourite chair. Nice and literal. It’s good for non-fiction and literary authors, though keep it uncluttered so your face still does the talking. Tip: tidy the shelf behind you, because every spine will be read.

4. The setting that matches your subject

Jericho Writers gives some lovely examples of settings tied to the book: a kitchen for a cookery writer, Marlow for cosy crime, a VW campervan for young-adult fiction. A cookbook author in a real kitchen, a gardening writer among plants, a historian in a library or old street. If the place says something about your work, use it.

5. The environmental portrait

This is the same idea but with more of the surroundings in frame, so you’re a person in a place rather than a face on a backdrop. Great for travel writers, nature writers and crime writers whose books are tied to a city. We shoot these on location around London, so a street, a park or a café that features in your book can be the set.

6. The window-light portrait

Soft daylight from the side, a simple background, natural skin. Light on the face generally makes you look fresher and more approachable, according to Jericho Writers. It suits romance, women’s fiction, self-help and anything where you want readers to feel they could have a cup of tea with you.

7. The moodier, shadowy version

Stronger contrast, darker background, a more serious expression. Jericho’s advice is that dramatic shadow can suit crime or horror, but too much darkness risks making you look like a character rather than the writer. So keep your eyes and face clearly lit, and let the shadows work around the edges.

8. Black and white

It can look timeless. It can also look like the cliché of the author gazing off at nothing in particular, which Emma Darwin pokes fun at in her piece on author photos. If you go black and white, look into the lens, and ask for a colour version as well so you’ve got both.

9. The outdoor walk-and-talk

Going for a stroll while the photographer shoots. Park, river, canal, a bit of woodland. It’s relaxed and honest and brilliant if you hate sitting still on a stool. It suits nature writers, poets, and anyone whose best ideas come on a walk. Check the weather and have a backup plan.

10. The prop, used lightly

A notebook, a mug, a typewriter, your actual book. One prop is charming. Three is a stock photo. If you’re a children’s author, a character costume or a puppet can work really well at events, and bookshops do like a bit of fun, but keep one calm portrait in reserve for serious press.

11. The professional-authority look

For business, finance, leadership and health authors: smart, confident, a bit more polished, probably with a jacket. This is where author photography overlaps with personal branding, because the same picture ends up on your speaker page, your LinkedIn and your book. Our personal branding photography sessions are built for exactly that crossover.

12. The small image library

This isn’t one look, it’s a plan. Ask for a clean head-and-shoulders portrait, a waist-up version, a frame with some empty space on one side for text, and an environmental shot linked to your writing. One session then covers your publisher’s page, interviews, event listings, social profiles and media kit, as Jericho Writers points out.

Match the mood to your genre

Here’s a rough guide. It’s not a rulebook, it’s a starting point for the conversation with your photographer.

If you’re stuck on how a visual concept can say something about you without taking over, these visual storytelling tips are a handy read. The one thing to keep in mind for an author photo is that your face has to stay the star. Readers want to recognise you at a book signing.

What to wear

Wear something you’ve already worn and felt good in. The British Fantasy Society’s tips say much the same: comfortable and familiar beats a brand-new outfit you haven’t tested. Skip big logos and busy patterns, because they pull the eye away from your face. Style your hair the way readers will know it, not in a way you’ll never repeat.

A few practical extras:

• Bring two or three tops in different colours. Solid mid-tones usually photograph well.
• Think about the background. A dark jumper against a dark backdrop will swallow you.
• Iron it. Creases show.
• Bring glasses if you wear them, and tell us if you’d like shots with and without.

We’ve got more on this in our guides to dressing for a professional headshot and headshot outfit examples.

Look after yourself the day before

Nothing dramatic. Sleep decently, drink water, don’t crash-diet. The British Fantasy Society also suggests avoiding strenuous exercise in the two hours before the shoot, which makes sense, because nobody looks their best flushed and out of breath. If you want to wear make-up, wear a bit more than feels natural in real life, as cameras and lights flatten things. Keep it to what you’d normally use, though.

Feeling awkward on camera? Most authors do

Writers spend their lives behind the page, so being looked at is a bit odd. You’re not alone. The same BFS advice points out that a shoot isn’t like a school photo where you get one or two goes. A good photographer takes their time, tries different poses and expressions, and works with you until something feels natural.

So don’t arrive with a perfect pose rehearsed. Arrive curious. We direct every session, which means we tell you where to put your chin, your shoulders and your hands, and we chat about your book so your face does the right thing by itself. If you’re really nervous, have a look at our camera-shy headshots guide for a breathing reset and some phrases that help.

Keep it recognisable: go easy on retouching

An author photo is part of your author brand, and heavy airbrushing can backfire, because readers meet you in person at events and festivals and want to know you. ArtsHub UK recommends keeping the face recognisable and the retouching restrained. A good brief is “polished and current”, not “made to look like someone else”.

In practice that means tidying a blemish, taking the edge off a tired day, and leaving laughter lines and freckles where they are. We call it honest retouching, and we’re happy to show you the before and after so you can say “a little less” if you’d like.

Files: what your publisher and the press will ask for

A lovely portrait that arrives too small is useless to a local paper. The Booksellers Association’s guide to running bookshop events says press images should be high resolution, at least 1MB and 300dpi, in JPEG format, and that an author headshot can go alongside event and book-jacket images. That’s a UK bookshop-events guideline rather than a rule for every site, but it’s a sensible target.

A publisher-facing author photo guide asks for something similar: a clear, in-focus, well-lit, flattering waist-up portrait, ideally portrait orientation, as a high-resolution JPEG, PNG or TIFF at 300dpi or more. It also lists where the photo may end up: author page, website, blog, newsletter, press kit, media requests and sometimes the book jacket.

So ask your photographer for two sets of files: smaller web-ready versions for your site and socials, and full-size print-ready versions for press and publishers. And ask for both portrait and landscape crops.

Perspective: what we’d do if you walked into the studio

We’re a London photographer who shoots headshots, portraits and personal branding every week, so here’s how we’d handle an author. First, a chat. We want to know what you write, who reads it, and where the photo will turn up. A debut novelist with a publisher deadline needs something different from a business author who’s speaking at conferences.

Second, we start simple. We’d do the clean portrait first, while you warm up, then move to the more characterful frames once you’ve stopped thinking about the camera. That’s nearly always when the best one happens, about twenty minutes in, mid-sentence, when you’ve forgotten to pose.

Third, we think about the whole set, not just one picture. A serious crop for the press, a warm one for social media, an environmental one for features. Most authors tell us afterwards the thing they hadn’t expected was how useful the variety turned out to be.

And we’re honest. If your idea doesn’t suit your book, we’ll say so, kindly, and suggest something that does.

— Emmet

Booking an author session in London

We offer sessions in our studio and on location around Fulham and West London, plus other parts of London. Here’s how our relevant packages are priced, as published on our site:

An on-location option is also available, and we’ll talk you through what’s included on the package pages. If you want a setting linked to your writing, the environmental portrait sessions are the closest fit, and you can read how it works in our guide to on-location portrait sessions. Our usual turnaround is the same week, which is handy when a publisher is chasing you. Single sessions do need a few weeks of notice, so check our booking lead times before you set a deadline, and see how to prepare for a session.

Ready? Pick the package that fits and book your session with us.

A quick checklist for the day

1. Write your one-line brief (“warm and approachable, a bit funny”) and bring three example photos you like.
2. Bring two or three outfits you’ve already worn.
3. Take a rest the night before and skip hard exercise that morning.
4. Tell the photographer where the photos will be used, so crops and files suit.
5. Ask for web-ready and print-ready files, in colour and, if you like, black and white.
6. Keep your retouching brief light: you, but rested.
7. Pick your top two or three shots, not twelve. Fewer, better pictures do more work.

FAQ

How much of my face should be in an author headshot?

Head and shoulders is the standard, and it’s what most author pages use. Ask for a waist-up version too, as publisher guides often request that, and a looser environmental frame for features. Having all three means you’re covered whatever you’re asked for.

Should my author photo be black and white or colour?

Either can work, but colour is the more flexible choice for websites, social media and festival listings. Black and white can look classic, but it’s also a bit of a cliché if you’re gazing into the distance. If you pick it, look into the lens and keep a colour copy as well.

Can I take my own author headshot on my phone?

You can, and it’s better than having none. But your face will look more flattering with proper light, a decent lens and someone directing you, and press and print uses need high-resolution files. If this is for a book launch or a publisher, it’s worth having a photographer do it.

How often should I update my author photo?

When you no longer look like it. A new book, a big haircut change or a few years passing are all good prompts. Readers who meet you at an event should recognise you from the photo, so keep it current.

What size should my author headshot be for press?

For UK bookshop and press use, the Booksellers Association guide asks for high-resolution JPEGs of at least 1MB and 300dpi. Your publisher may have its own specification, so ask them before the shoot and tell your photographer.

Sources

• Tips For Authors Getting Headshots, Jericho Writers
• The art of the author photo, ArtsHub UK
• Top Tips For Great Author Headshots, The British Fantasy Society
• Running Bookshop Events, Booksellers Association
• Guide to Author Publicity Photos
• What Makes A Great Author Photo?, Emma Darwin

Recommended

• 8 Headshot Outfits for Women: Match Your Role, Test on Camera
• Headshot Posing: 8 Poses Tested in Studio for Natural Photos
• Types of Professional Headshots: Your 2026 Guide
• How to Dress for a Professional Headshot